autumn wisdom

I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and its content.
-- Lin Yutang (1895-1976) Chinese author.  

Above: Seeger Chapel on the campus of Milligan College.

imagination

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
--Albert Einstein  

Here are some recent photos from Rocky Fork State Park. The transition to a state park is making good progress on this huge tract of land in southern Unicoi County. It looks like the parking area is nearing completion (but not open yet) and trails are now named and marked with signs. Hiking the Flint Trail, I came across a lovely meadow (left) after crossing the interesting footbridge you see at the top. The bridge was made from a tree that had fallen across the creek.

autumn road

Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.
--Frederick Buechner (1926-2022)

Above: Autumn Road near the Nolichucky River, Erwin, TN.

keep moving

Better to start up a thousand wrong roads than to spend your life going nowhere because you know the way. 

--Robert Brault

Above: Late autumn road on a dreary day.

wonder

Wonder is the basis of worship.  

--Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish Historian and Essayist.   

smile

Smile though your heart is aching 
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you.
--Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) actor, filmmaker, and composer.

More shots taken on my misty day at Crabtree Falls. 

rhythm in the woods

"There is music in the meadows, in the air --
Autumn is here;
Skies are gray, but hearts are mellow,
Leaves are crimson, brown, and yellow;
Pines are soughing, birches stir,
And the Gipsy trail is fresh beneath the fir.

There is rhythm in the woods, and in the fields,
Nature yields:
And the harvest voices crying,
Blend with Autumn zephyrs sighing;
Tone and color, frost and fire,
Wings the nocturne Nature plays upon her lyre." 
--William Stanley Braithwaite, Lyric of Autumn

illuminated history

At this season of the year, when each leaf acquires its peculiar color, Nature prints this history distinctly, as it were an illuminated edition. Every oak and hickory and birch and aspen sprinkled amid the pines tells its tale a mile off, and you have not to go laboriously through the wood examining the bark and leaves. These facts would be best illustrated by colors, —green, yellow, red etc.  
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher

happiness

Happiness begins where selfishness ends. 
―John Wooden (1910-2010) basketball coach.

rejoice

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. 
--Unknown

Above: Price Lake

Rough Ridge

I took a day to search for God, 

And found Him not; but as I trod, 

By rocky ledge, through woods untamed, 

Just where one scarlet lily flamed, 

I saw His footprint in the sod. 

--William Bliss Carman

Above: Rocky Outcropping on Rough Ridge.

Hawksbill Mountain

Be different, stand out, and work your butt off. 
--Reba McEntire (b.1955) American country singer.

One of the more prominent peaks in western North Carolina area area is Hawksbill Mountain, rising 2000 feet high above the Linville River. For miles around, Hawksbill and its sidekick, Table Rock, can be easily identified with their distinctive shapes jutting up sharply, standing out in a sea of gently rolling hills.  The view here is from Wiseman's Overlook on the south side of the gorge looking north.

For directions to Hawksbill Mountain Trail, click here. Another good source here.

For directions to Wiseman's Overlook, click here.

Crabtree Falls

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.   

--John Muir (1838-1914) Naturalist and Conservationist.  

Above: Crabtree Falls on a rainy autumn day. One of the most beautiful waterfalls in our region, Crabtree Falls is found at mile 339 of the Blue Ridge Parkway (roughly midway between Linville Falls and Mount Mitchell). Click to enlarge and you'll see my friend, Peter, at the base of the falls - which puts this spectacular 70' waterfall in perspective. For more discussion and directions, click here.

changing beauty

Change can be beautiful, when we are brave enough to evolve with it. 
--Bryant McGill (b.1969) author.

Some more shots from the area of the Blue Ridge Parkway around Grandfather Mountain. Click the panorama below to enlarge.

For more photographs of the Linn Cove Viaduct, click here.

For directions to Rough Ridge Overlook, click here.

autumn's turn

Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn. 
--Elizabeth Lawrence  

Take time to watch the leaves turn this weekend or next -- they are at peak in many places around Grandfather Mountain in the high country of North Carolina. This is the view of the Linn Cove Viaduct from Rough Ridge Overlook. It's one of the best places in our area to soak in all the autumny goodness.

For directions and description of the hike to Rough Ridge, click here.

autumn jubilee

[T]hat old September feeling... of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air.... Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year’s mistakes and failures had been wiped clean by summer. 

--Wallace Stegner (1909-1993) American author and historian. 

Above: A misty day on Unaka Mountain in late September. If you enlarge the photo and look closely left of center, you'll see the Appalachian Trail. 

why we climb

Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.
--Greg Child (b.1957) Australian-born rock climber, mountaineer, author and filmmaker.

I continue to comb through my autumn excursions for photos to share. These are from a rainy trip to Grayson Highlands State Park in Southwest Virginia in October. The clouds and rain got worse the longer I hiked, so by time I made it to the wild ponies, whatever good light I had was gone.

Seems I always pick extreme days to visit Grayson. I've been there when it's pouring rain, freezing cold and blazing hot. But whatever the weather, I'm always in awe of this place. With so many trails to hike, jagged peaks to climb and magnificent vistas to enjoy, there's beauty and wonder in every direction.  It's one of the most memorable places found along the 2,180 mile Appalachian Trail. While it's off the beaten path for most of us, it's well worth the journey.

Admission to the park is now $4 on weekdays, $5 on weekends, per vehicle. Such a deal. I still have a lot to explore at the park. Click here to visit the website, which includes driving directions and a detailed trail map. The Friends of Grayson Highlands webpage includes current weather information and a webcam. Another helpful resource is the Sherpa Guide.

Click here to see my previous Grayson photos and posts.

stormy weather

Faith is not a delicate flower which would wither away under the slightest stormy weather. 
--Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian Philosopher.

I haven't gotten out much to shoot lately, so I'm looking through my autumn shots from this fall for photos to share. Two of the prime weekends for fall color this October were stormy. So I have a lot of rainy, misty shots this autumn. At the time I took the shot above, there was a steady drizzle of rain, and I had had it. Hiking in the rain, keeping the camera dry and the lens free of rain drops (while holding a dog on a leash) ... not much fun! But shooting in these conditions can often make for some interesting shots in spite of the frustrations.

The photo on the left shows an old boat ramp entering the western end of lake near Hampton, TN. It makes me wonder where the roads used to be before the lake was completed by the TVA in 1948. Who knows, maybe this was an old road bed that led to the old town of Butler?  I haven't seen any old, 'pre-Watauga Lake' road maps of the area. There is a nice Butler museum in the new town of Butler, TN which is worth checking out if you're ever out that way (open seasonally). It tells the interesting history of the town and the people displaced by the lake.

Red Fork Falls

I ventured out to Red Fork Falls a couple weeks back and climbed down this series of beautiful waterfalls on Unaka Mountain further than I usually do.  Thought I'd share images of the six distinctive waterfalls to be found at Red Fork.  

1. This is the first waterfall you'll find at Red Fork. It's small, probably only 5 feet tall. Often I have found swirling watering in this area -- didn't quite work this time around, but under the right conditions, this creates a unique effect.

2. The main waterfall you see in the photo at the top of this post is actually the second one you'll encounter. At 60' this is quite impressive and powerful. In times of high water flow, you'll find the water forming a 'rooster tail' as it rushes out over the cascade.  

3. This cascading corkscrew is such an amazing feature. It's found immediately below the main waterfall. Like a water slide, the water rushes through a narrow, twisting formation on its way to the next small waterfall.

4. Continue climbing down the path and you next come to this stunning waterfall.  After the main waterfall, I consider this to be the next most beautiful one. It's worth climbing down to see!

5. Further down you come to this small split waterfall.

6. Finally I reached the end point of my adventure. This is another smallish waterfall, but a beauty. Some websites say there are eight waterfalls at Red Fork. I suppose it depends how you count them, but it's likely that there are others below what you see here. I have always stopped here at this point because opposite this waterfall is a sharply angled, slippery rock that usually keeps me from moving on! And plus, by this point, I'm pretty well exhausted from all the climbing. :)

For directions and a description of this short, but difficult (and dangerous) hike, click here. This isn't a hike for the kids or to take the dog on. There's a lot of climbing. It's also extremely slippery at the top of the main falls, so don't approach the edge. People have been seriously injured here. Below the main fall is also crazy slippery. But watch your step, take your time and you'll enjoy exploring Red Fork.

Before venturing out, please read my warnings, safety tips and disclaimers.

Glory Glory

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.  
--C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) author and theologian.

A gorgeous weekend...great to see the colors staying around so long this fall. :)